Apple today announced that the App Store has reached another milestone, passing 40 billion downloads since its launch in 2008. The pace of downloads continues to accelerate, with nearly half of those downloads coming in 2012.

Apple now has 500 million user accounts for the App Store, and set a record with over two billion downloads during the month of December.

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"It has been an incredible year for the iOS developer community," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "Developers have made over seven billion dollars on the App Store, and we continue to invest in providing them with the best ecosystem so they can create the most innovative apps in the world."

Apple notes that there are now over 775,000 apps available in the App Store and highlights the success of a number of developers including Temple Run's Imangi Studios, Autodesk, and others.

Quote:

In 2012, the husband and wife team at Imangi Studios saw their game Temple Run downloaded more than 75 million times; Backflip Studios and Supercell, two emerging game development studios, brought in over $100 million combined for their leading freemium titles DragonVale and Clash of Clans; and emerging services including Uber, Flipboard, HotelTonight, and AirBnB attracted millions of users on iOS. Companies including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Autodesk, Marvel and Major League Baseball continued to expand their iOS offerings, while developers like JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Interactive and Bottle Rocket Apps continued to push the boundaries of what iOS apps can do.

Just this morning I was wondering how many app downloads Apple had facilitated, kinda sorta hoping there was another of those $10,000 iTunes gift card contests for the whatever-th download just around the corner.

With 500million registered accounts, and these kinds of download figures, along with 90-95% retention, taking into account the reality that emerging markets provide an opportunity for this figure to double, how can anyone doubt Apples ability to sell 250-300million IPhones? I really don't understand the pessimism around Apples iphone sales :/

Even if growth stalls, the refresh/upgrade cycle alone will ensure 150-200million iPhones sold annually, with the figure likely being much higher. Consider that at least 10-20% of buyers will buy everything Apple makes, and it seems very realistic to forecast 30% + average growth for the next 5-6 years. Mr market is pricing in reduced margins and lower revenue. Something is out of whack.

I wonder what would happen if Apple announced a plan to overhaul IAds and released a product that no-one is expecting. Apple has a lot of hardware and software people working for them. I have a hard time believing that all they are doing is handling the paperwork and supply chain details for incremental upgrades.

I have a hard time believing Apple isn't planning something big for 2014-2015. My bet is that they are waiting for costs/technology to catch up to a point where they can make their next major tech for a price that makes sense. Apple TV will be released this year, which I can honestly see causing earnings to nearly double. Imagine if Apple were to make itself a direct competitor of Cable/Dish. They already have the devices deployed. The Ipad/iphone/iPod touches are basically televisions. They could also release a $1500-2000 television that would make for a higher end consumption device for those that want it. Apple TV will be software that is equivalent to what cable providers offer and will allow those that opt for it to access content via the cloud from anywhere at any time. This will increase the amount of television that people watch, increasing the premium for the content. It will kill/hurt Netflix, and will bring in billions for Apple.

Imagine the opportunities that will come if they can produce a kind of payment system that goes through iTunes. Let's say you can monetize your finger print in a way that links it to you, combine it with a validation password that confirms your identify and the sky is the limit. Personally, I would trust Apple with my fingerprint over Google or Samdong. I doubt they would be able to offer comprable software/hardware. Perhaps this is what they are intending to do with their acquisition of one of the premiere finger print scanning companies? I'm putting together a proper article. The incessant bashing of Apple makes me very angry. What do you guys think? Any thoughts?

I'd like to know how many unique downloads from that. Like the first time an app is downloaded for an account.

Because I'm pretty certain that they count re-downloads, like when all the apps downloaded again when you migrate to a new device. I know I had quite a few downloads going when I moved from my 3GS to my iPhone 5 after setting up from my backup.

I'd like to know how many unique downloads from that. Like the first time an app is downloaded for an account.

Because I'm pretty certain that they count re-downloads, like when all the apps downloaded again when you migrate to a new device. I know I had quite a few downloads going when I moved from my 3GS to my iPhone 5 after setting up from my backup.

I'd like to know how many unique downloads from that. Like the first time an app is downloaded for an account.

Because I'm pretty certain that they count re-downloads, like when all the apps downloaded again when you migrate to a new device. I know I had quite a few downloads going when I moved from my 3GS to my iPhone 5 after setting up from my backup.

Still would be in the tens of billions, though.

If you read the press release on Apple.com it has an asterisk saying the 40B number specifically excludes re-downloads and updates.

This is great but App discovery and the store need a LOT of work. Great if you know exactly what you're looking for. Rubbish otherwise. How many hidden gems are yet to be uncovered or ever will be?

At least Apple does seem to be working on it. Some of the improvements they've made have made a difference. The trouble is that anything which simplifies the options offered to the majority of users necessarily makes it harder to find apps that are edge cases or minority interest. It's a real rock and a hard place problem.

Lots of talk about quality of apps, but the story here is about number of downloads. Obviously, there is value there somewhere otherwise they would not have 20 billion downloads in one year. An amazing number.

Lots of talk about quality of apps, but the story here is about number of downloads. Obviously, there is value there somewhere otherwise they would not have 20 billion downloads in one year. An amazing number.

And the stock is down 2% in trading so far today. I'm just waiting for earnings release when they announce something ridiculous like 50M iPhones, 20M iPads sold and $10bn profit and the stock drops 5%.

__________________"Terrorism is horrible and must be stopped. All of us must do everything we can do to stop this craziness. These people shouldn't exist. They should be eliminated."— Tim Cook 

I'd like to know how many unique downloads from that. Like the first time an app is downloaded for an account.

Because I'm pretty certain that they count re-downloads, like when all the apps downloaded again when you migrate to a new device. I know I had quite a few downloads going when I moved from my 3GS to my iPhone 5 after setting up from my backup.

Still would be in the tens of billions, though.

Do you have a source or are you just speculating? I mean, it's not like hundreds of millions of people are changing devices weekly.